50 Books Challenge 2026 Part Three

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third thread of the 50 Books Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2026, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

If possible, please can you embolden your titles and maybe authors as well of books you've read or going to read? It makes it much easier to keep track, especially when the threads move quickly at this time of the year.

The first thread of the year is here and the second thread here

@TimeforaGandT I’ve read the first of that series too, (probably inspired by your review!) and have the next five on my TBR reserved to read when on holiday there this summer. Definitely fewer murders as I recall 😁

Thinking of you Remus - I hope things start going better for you soon.

21 Dead Water - Ann Cleeves I’ve gone back to the Shetland series after figuratively throwing book 4 across the room last year due to the ending; this is book 5 and DI Jimmy Perez is back, dealing with grief and a new murder, as well as a new Chief Investigating Officer. The writing was pretty clunky but decent story and nice setting, so I’ll go on to the next one when it comes up on BorrowBox.

37. Green Rising by Lauren James - I was left a bit traumatised by Year of Magical Thinking and also needed to read a book with an environmental theme for a challenge. Searching Libby for 'green' produced this YA novel about a near future dystopia where climate change is nearly irreversible and the oligarchs and tech bros are using the last of Earth's resources to move to Mars. I quite like the occasional YA book but this one, while perfectly pleasant, was underwhelming. The core idea was interesting - some teens have developed the ability to grow plants in their bodies and when trained are able to produce them on the ground as well. This leads to a 'green rising' where a Greta Thunberg type character joins with an oil heiress and her team of greenfingers to save the planet while outwitting the oligarchs who want to use their powers to make the move to Mars easier. But it was quite 'young' in its plotting and characters, unlike the best YA fiction like The Hunger Games. It didn't look at the cost of rebellion or the complexity. Still, it was fast paced, plot forward, readable and got me out of a slump.

@RomanMum - envious of your upcoming trip to the Isles of Scilly. I generally go at the beginning of May for a week but sadly can't get there this May.

Women's Prize bargain alert: A Beast Slinks towards Beijing on Kindle is currently available for £1.99.

Just catching up with the thread - not had much reading time, crazy time at work and I am so tired I end up doomscrolling, which is an appalling habit I really need to break.
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie - good to see you xx

I have a couple of reviews though (both well reviewed on here before but anyway)

18. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
    This has been on my to be read list for a long time, having loved The Dutch House several years ago.
    It's set in an unnamed country in South America, at a party held in the home of the country's vice president, in honor of the powerful Japanese businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Famous opera singer Roxane Coss is performing and all sorts of VIPs are there. At the end of the evening, terrorists takes the entire party hostage and a long stand off begins. The narrative is entirely within the house, the reader has no idea what is going on outside, and personalities and unlikely friendships develop between the hostages and the terrorists.
    It was good, lovely writing but felt I was missing something. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it.

19. Nesting by Roisin McDonnell
    This is the story of young mother Ciara trying to escape her controlling, abusive husband Ryan. She leaves and struggles to stay away with her two young daughters. Ryan alternatively threatens and lovebombs her, weaponises the children and acts the victim. Ciara is left trying to navigate a broken housing system, an unfair court system and trying to keep a normal home together for her girls.
    Ryan is well drawn and I saw a lot of myself in Ciara, although my kids were older when I finally managed to break free so was never faced with the trauma of the court forcing me to leave my young children with an abusive man (in retrospect this was one of the reasons I stayed - i knew my ex would weaponise them). I also recognise the implied threat of Ryan, the descriptions of his moods, silences and her stress about not setting off another tantrum, which she knew was inevitable, attempts to isolate from friends and family.
    It is ultimately uplifting and it resonated well when Ciara describes refinding herself, and being relaxed with friends, not constantly on edge watching for the next thing he would not like and punish her for. I am coming up to four years out, like ciara- money is short and have to work full time (and will until I retire), but I still remind myself of the joy and freedom every day.

M is for Malice - Sue Grafton

Still working my way through the Kinsey Millhone books. Here Kinsey has to track down someone who disappeared 18 years ago, because he’s now due to inherit $5m. Good but not one of the best.

Three Singles to Adventure - Gerald Durrell

One of his early animal collecting memoirs, in Guiana. Amusing and some lovely nature writing.

What Happened That Summer - Laura Pearson

Told as a podcast transcript interviewing the key people involved when a teenage pop star died on a rollercoaster at an English theme park. I enjoyed this although the reveal was rather unlikely.

Harry Potter And The Order of the Phoenix - J K Rowling

This was the full cast Audible edition, and I’m really enjoying working my way through these. They’re very well done.

It’s Not What You Think - Clare Mackintosh

This was a bold. It starts off with Nadeeka driving home to try and catch her boyfriend Jamie having an affair - but when she gets home he’s dead (not a spoiler; this is in the blurb). I kept thinking I knew where this was going then it spun off in a different direction. I thought it was great.

An Awfully Big Adventure - Beryl Bainbridge

Read for the Rather Dated thread - will save my comments for that thread eventually.

Last One Out - Jane Harper

Five years after her son Sam went missing, Ro returns to the small, remote Australian town where her husband still lives. Very few people are still there as most of the houses have been bought up by the large mine on the edge of town. While there, Ro uncovers what happened to Sam. I really enjoyed this. It’s quite a slow burn, with lots about the town and its inhabitants, but I really liked that. I could really visualise the town. Maybe not one for those who like their mysteries more fast paced.

1. Pilgrim Soul - Gordon Ferris

the third of four Douglas Brodie books on KUL, back to a bold.

Brodie’s love life is more on than off, for once (hoorah!) and his work life is more dangerous than ever, as his fluent German and past work documenting the horrors of Belsen come back to haunt him and Samantha. Somehow he gets himself co-opted back to military rank to assist with further investigations of the Nazis and the impact of Glasgow’s Jewish community.

A gripping read.

Thinking of you @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie& thanks for the update.

@Castlerigg- as I have a DDog, realistically being prescribed a cat would cause rather than solve problems, but I can still dream.

44 . A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor - this is the second in the St Mary’s series of time-travelling historians. I quite enjoyed this, but I don’t find it sufficiently funny to love it.

45 . The Edge of Darkness by Vaseem Khan - in which Persis is exiled to a remote part of India, where she encounters a headless corpse and a handsome assistant. I enjoyed this much more than the last one mainly because Persis actually followed the rules for once when investigating.

46 . With the Law on Our Side by Lady Hale - this was on the Woman’s Prize longlist and I really liked it. The author (ex-barrister & Supreme Court judge) looks at 3 aspects of the law: how the courts work, equalities and how laws are made. I found the first section the most interesting as she describes her visits to examples of each of the courts in the UK. As well as being a guide to the court system, the cases she sees also illuminate current issues in the legal system. The second section is more of a straightforward guide to the Equality Act & the , but the cases she chooses to illustrate this are interesting. My only criticism here would be that balancing different equalities probably needed its own chapter. The final section was also a straightforward guide. The writing style was clear and very readable and I found that the calm way she addressed the different issues was really refreshing when compared to “activist judges” type comments from some politicians. I think it’s a shame the book wasn’t shortlisted as there is a need for interesting books to help people understand how our country works.

47 . Heart the Lover by Lily King - much reviewed on this thread, this was my first read from the Women’s Prize fiction longlist. It was very easy to read (I raced through it in one sitting - quite a contrast to the heftier tomes from the non-fiction list) & I enjoyed it, but I didn’t care enough about the characters for it to be bold.

I’ve also DNFed Ask Me How It Works by Deepa Paul from the WP non-fiction longlist, which I ordered from BorrowBox against my better judgement as I wanted to read the whole longlist. I very rarely DNF anything as I tend to come back to books eventually, but this is the exception. It’s an account of the writer’s open marriage (which after reading the Mackrell biography I’m tempted to call the Augustus John approach to relationships). Like John, this seemed to involve a lot of fun for her and a lot of pain for her spouse. Apparently, her husband comes round to the lifestyle eventually but I didn’t read that far as I gave up as there was far too much being bossed around by unpleasant men.

Late to saying hello @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie, thinking of you and hoping things may improve.

@MegBusset I’ve read The Power Broker and I’d recommend it 1000%, though it was a few years back now when my concentration was less fried by smartphone use. Robert Moses is an extraordinary character. I dragged dp to see Ralph Fiennes in Straight Line Crazy which is based on it, but the book is much better. Unfortunately I now expect all vast US nonfiction tomes to be as good, which they’re so not - looking at you, Oppenheimer.

Forgot that I’d actually finished a book..,

15 The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss

A great and romantic subject, the 1995 extraordinary promotion of an Italian football team from a tiny town in the Abruzzo mountains to a league way above expectations. This came very recommended and I did enjoy reading it, but the style is just plain odd. It never seems to settle down and swings awkwardly between joky passages of description, over-serious denunciations, cod-Italiano stereotypes and reportage.

Flight behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver

This is a lovely tale of Dellarobia who lives on a farm in Tenesse and finds herself lifted from her day to day life when a huge amount of butterflies show up and roost on the farm instead of their usual location. Media and scientists descend. I got really drawn in to the characters, especially her son Preston who comes across as serious and cute. Climate change is discussed but it doesn't across as being lectured to, and the farm owners perspective of what they need to do in order to survive financially is one that we don't often hear.

Relieved I enjoyed this after not getting on with Lacuna and looking forward to reading the others in her back catalogue.

28 The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhon
Fictional story based on the diary of midwife Martha Ballard (1789 or so Maine, USA). Martha (incredibly) kept a record of the weather, her daily activity, births and deaths she attended and other experiences as a midwife at this time.

After one of her visits delivering a baby, Martha has been called to examine a dead body pulled from the frozen river (her role is more varied than midwife it seems). The body is one of two men accused of SA and Martha has been called as witness for the case. The story covers her quest for justice for the victim in a time where women were very much second class citizens and men got away with pretty much everything.

I had trouble even writing this post as, even though a reasonably interesting story, reading this was like one of those nightmares where you are trying to get somewhere and are just not every "getting there". I asked myself several times "am I enjoying this"? and the answer was "yes" but I couldn't figure out why reading it was such a chore.

I think I need to read something really light and fluffy next.

@SheilaFentiman – what is KUL please? Google is not being helpful

@myislandhome what an interesting reaction to Frozen River. I loved it! Though I did think the ending was a bit convenient 😊Apart from everything you mentioned, I also enjoyed the good, mature love story between Martha and her husband. Isn't it funny how different people respond so differently to the same text?

Kindle Unlimited, sorry :)

ETA I got a 3 months for 99p a month offer so I am caning that at the moment!

Finished an audio A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
This was the audio option for my online book club for Spring and it was absolutely (unintentionally) hilarious. John Carter, after battling native Americans and showing them whose boss runs into a cave and is transported to Mars, where he turns out to be much better at everything than the Martians- even taming their animals, learning their lifelong skills in five minutes, attracting their princesses and of course civilising them with his superior knowledge, feelings and abilities. Great illustration of a colonial viewpoint! Still it was amusing (and short).

Glad to hear you enjoyed Flight Behaviour @RazorstormUnicorn - I loved it. I thought that it would never live up to The Poisonwood Bible because it was such a small-town setting in comparison, but somehow it did.

26.Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Terrifying autobiographical tale of one woman’s working life in the top echelons of facebook. Sarah Wynn-Williams is a diplomat and sees the power and potential to open up communication channels and affect change through social media. Unfortunately the owners of facebook are too preoccupied with profit or too blinkered to understand or care about international concerns. Probably the single scariest thing I learned was that nobody who works in social media allows their children access to it. According to this, no children or teenagers in Silicon Valley have smartphones because their parents know the harm it causes. I find this very frightening.

27.Unbound by Penelope Bloom
Pure YA escapism. Nessa volunteers as an offering to be killed for the empire. All is not as it seems and she survives a test that proves she has elemental magical power. But of course she is a rare specimen and holds a special type of magic that has huge potential for power of good or destruction. And she falls in love with her worst enemy. Naturally.

I don’t usually read this sort of thing and so I really enjoyed this. An easy read and I will definitely be seeking out the next one.

28.How to Survive in the Woods by Kat Rosenfield
A woman and her friend lure her abusive boyfriend into the woods to try to get rid of him. But all is not as it seems and it all gets a bit twisty. Appalachian trail camping goes wrong. Readable but not brilliant.

29.The Power Within by Sophie Power
I have become a bit obsessed with the idea of ultramarathons. I might do one. I might not. But I am hugely enjoying reading lots of books by people who do these crazy things. This was possibly one I would recommend least because she just seems a little bit unhinged. Sophie Power was made famous by a photograph of her breastfeeding her young baby in the middle of the UTMB ultramarathon around the Alps. She creates a new business and life around the idea of encouraging women to continue being active while pregnant. All great. But I’m not convinced that she doesn’t miss the bigger picture. Should we really be trying to do ultramarathons when our babies are tiny? I just wonder whether her priorities are a bit off. However she has done wonders to advocate for maternity rights in sports.

30.Failure is an Option by Matt Whyman
Ultramarathoning autobiography. This chap is a bit more of an everyman and I enjoyed accompanying him on increasingly crazy journeys. Relatable.

31.Trails and Tribulations by Susie Chan
Susie Chan seems the sort of person you would want with you on an ultramarathon. She is pretty upbeat and positive but also relatively down to earth. Inspiring and enjoyable. I don’t want to try to do a 24hr treadmill session any time ever though...

32. Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg
    Slightly odd novel about a commune. Iris is lost in her life so moves to Breach House with a group of other women who have moved out of normal society for whatever reason. It becomes like Lord of the Flies. I just didn’t ever feel comfortable in this world.

33. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
    Based on a true story about a midwife in 1789 in Maine. Martha Ballard lives in a community where there are some tensions as the local magistrate and an accomplice have raped the rector’s wife. One of the men is pulled out of the ice having been murdered. She must try to work out what has happened while trying not to become a target of the malicious magistrate.
    
    I enjoyed this as it was a good telling of life in this time and place and particularly for women.
    
    @myislandhome I didn't find it a chore to return to- although this was an audiobook so sometimes that can be easier to get going with.

34. The Run of Life by Steve Till
    More running books. Fairly average ‘how to’ running book with nothing very new.

@elspethmcgillicudddy you might enjoy Operation Ironman by George Mahood. Not ultra marathon but the story of his quest to do the Iron Man months after spinal surgery.

Yes! I found the relationship between Martha and her Husband a bit creepy in parts and found Martha herself not the nicest (very judgemental of both women and men). I also found the characters very two dimensional.
That being said, I didn't not like the book. I think I just found it laborious.

Sorry to hear Nesting struck a chord with you because you’ve been in a similar relationship @HagCymraeg - well done on making your escape, I can’t imagine how stressful it must be to live with someone like Ryan.
I thought the book painted the abusive environment and sense of relief at getting away well too. Although I found the tacked on romance a bit unnecessary and would have preferred Ciara to avoid entanglement with another male saviour figure quite so quickly.

22. The Promised Neverland Vol 6 by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Manga.

The premise of this one is that a group of children growing up in an isolated orphanage have discovered the horrifying truth - they’re actually being farmed as food for demons.

In this installment, the older children have successfully escaped from the orphanage, only to find themselves having to escape pursuit whilst navigating a sinister and dangerous forest filled with things like vampiric trees.

Fast paced and action packed.

Well done on getting out @HagCymraeg - and sorry you experienced a man like that. Nesting was one of my books of the year last year, very stressful but so well written. Was very surprised when it didn't make the Woman's Prize shortlist.

37. She Who Remains - Rene Karabash. This is on the International Booker shortlist. It's by a Bulgarian author but is set in Albanian. It's about Betija who becomes a "sworn virgin", which basically means changing her gender, after her family becomes involved in a blood feud governed by the Kanum, ancient Albanian law. I thought this was really well done, although there is no punctuation, which I know is a pet peeve for some. I think it works here as Betija is illiterate, and you're very much in her thoughts interspersed with bits of poetry. It's short but packs a punch, bold for me.

@elspethmcgillicudddy I recommend Born to Run - it's great and also the source of my username!